Each step Kael took felt like dragging a mountain, but he didn't stop. He crossed the threshold. Behind him, the chamber sealed.
His's HP surged back to 100%, his Lvl 19 frame humming with raw power as he stepped onto the third floor of the Eternal Ascension Pagoda.
The stone chamber faded, replaced by a misty canyon, rough cliffs rising into a swirling gray sky, the air thick with primal energy that tugged at his Essence Core.
His Abyssal Fang Dagger gleamed, its blade still warm from the second floor's brutal trial, the Essence Latch kept on feeding him steady pulses of stamina.
***
Meanwhile,
Back at the pagoda's entrance, the air was heavy with the groans and complains of the injured. Cedric, Taryn, and Mei-Lin huddled a few meters from the jade door, their wounds bandaged but their pride battered.
